The World Will Change
by Ponyful is Awesome
Summary: Paige is a lower-city girl, subject to sexism and arranged marriage. Even though Keladry is now a Lady Knight, many are still not allowed to chase their dreams. Can Paige overcome what is expected of her to be who she wants to be?
1. Chapter 1

"One Day, I'll show them. I will, and I'll laugh in their stupid, impudent faces and say "WAKE UP! Girls can do anything that boys can do, and even better than they do it." But, until then, I've gotta do something about this stupid situation I'm in. Well, here it goes."

Paige, a lower-city girl from a poor family, is expected to play the traditional role of a girl; cook, clean, fetch water from the well down the road, and worst of all, get married. It's not that she wasn't slightly intrigued, there were boys she liked, but from her experience, the fathers married the girls off to the ones that payed the most money, and they were usually the ones that couldn't get anyone to marry them because of handsomeness or personality. So she wasn't looking forward to her new husband very much, but the street girls really didn't have many other choices. She just couldn't abandon her family like that. She was certainly pretty, so she would fetch a good price which might feed her family for months. But then she would never get out of this cycle of poverty. She wanted to be a knight. A warrior, famed for being merciless among evil. Her father would never let her though. She had asked, even tried to reason with him, even though arguing with a male is forbidden.

"There are plenty of girl pages and lady knights around now. Lady Keladry showed us that we CAN do anything the men do. Why can't I make a better life for myself too?" At first her father had stared at her in disbelief, that a girl would argue with him was absurd, especially one of his own daughters. "This whole Lady Knight thing is a big scam. Giving men less power and women ideas. Besides, those girls who made it only went there because there wasn't a future for them elsewhere. You are going to bring fortune to this family." Paige was fuming by the time he'd finished. Angrily, she shouted back "So you can drink the money off and forget I was ever here?" Taken aback, her father could only stare as she stormed out of the room they were in, slamming the door behind her.

Paige stormed out of the small hut in which her family lived into the grubby backyard, which contained all the livestock they owned. Two goats, a cow, a white pony that was so dirty it looked to be brown, and skinny mutt that guarded their house at night. As she entered the yard, the dog got up from its resting place under the sparse leaves of a thorn bush and trotted over to her, head even with its shoulders, ears that went up slightly and curved back, like the ears of the Kings' fine greyhounds. The rest of the dog's body was as sleek as a greyhounds', with the curved back and large chest, long legs and whippy tail. Sometimes Paige liked to imagine he was a pup of one of the most coveted females in the Kings' kennels. Then at least one of them would've had a way out of there. But even the dog clearly wasn't royalty, for he was smaller than a greyhound, his head only coming up a little past the knee, he was furrier than the sleek royal dogs, sporting a coat of tan and white, and had large paws. But the biggest giveaway of his less-than-royal stature was how he walked. Submissive and loyal, he didn't carry himself as the proud greyhounds did; he held his head level with his shoulders, tail down, walking in a bouncy, humble but alert way. To Paige, his presence was reassuring. It let her know that, even though she wanted to be independent, there was someone there to look after her. She sat herself down in the dirt and put her head on her knees, scratching the dogs' ears absently as she calmed down. The she remembered, tomorrow was her fourteenth birthday. Birthdays weren't kept track of in her family, as there were too many children to really make things like age important. Despairing, she started to cry. Even if she wanted to be a page, she was too old for the training. If she DID get in, she would be teased by others about her age and why she hadn't started earlier. "I hate my life. I just HATE it!" she screamed to the sky, "Why can't things be changed?"

"Where's the god damn water?!" the familiar yell reached Paige's ears while she was giving the pony a long-since overdue grooming. "Oh, Mithros, I forgot the stupid water," she grumbled as she dropped the brushes, "Why can't someone ELSE get the water for a change? Oh NO, the boys can't, because they're tough guys and obviously can't handle the task of lugging a huge bucket of water back from the well. How macho of them." She whistled for the dog to come along, grabbed the plastic bucket from the side of the house, and walked away down the grime-covered cobblestones of the street.

The walk to the well had gone without a problem, and as she pumped water, Paige was complaining to the dog about all the unfairness's of the life she lived. As she put the lid on the bucket, she noticed that the dog was standing erect, ears cocked forward, grunt-whining and sniffing the air anxiously. She quickly scanned the shadows of the buildings, made even dimmer in the twilight hours, she saw a bulk move around a corner, squinting hard at it, she was oblivious to the footsteps behind her until she was grabbed around the waist and a hand was clamped firmly over her mouth. She was spun around and gripped firmly by the shoulders. She looked up into the face of her attacker and saw a man of forty, unshaven, unclean, and obviously not well-intentioned. In an oily-smooth voice he sneered "Well, what do we have here? A little street beauty here is what we got. How's about you come with me little dearie, and for a little favor I'll show you how to live a life better than the one you've got here." Paige had heard about attacks on girls, they weren't uncommon in the slums of the lower city. She knew that she wouldn't go with this man. _Think Paige, think. What would a knight do? _ She twisted and ducked, but that only resulted in a tighter grip on her shoulders. "Eh, a feisty one are ya?" the man asked, "Well, I'll show you to mind your place!" With that he punched her roughly in the cheek and on the edge of her eye. Pain making her head throb, Paige pulled her last desperate trick she could think of. She twisted her head to bite his arm, and at the same time kneed him in the groin. The man yelled and let her go. But as she turned to run he leaped and grabbed her ankle, making her fall to the ground. Then the dog stepped in. The submissive mutt leaped at her attacker, scoring his face with sharp teeth, leaving a line of cuts across his face. The man's blood dripped into his eyes and, blind, he blundered around to the buildings and felt his way back down an alley. Paige didn't wait for him to come back. She got up and sprinted back home, her mutt following close behind.

When she got home, Paige recounted the story to her mother and father. As her moved to comfort her, her father held out his arm to stop her. Not knowing how to resist a man's commands, she stopped and fell silent. "Daughter, these things are to be expected. We are not rich, there are people who will take you. We must go on with life as if it never happened. Tomorrow, you will fetch back the bucket, which may already be stolen thanks to your lack of forethought." Outraged at her fathers' insensitive words, Paige replied hotly "He was going to HURT me. I've heard the stories about girls taken off the streets by strange men. I know what happens to them. I don't want that to happen to me, so I'm VERY sorry to have cost you two coppers for a new bucket. Maybe next time I'll just stand there and LET MYSELF BE RAPED." Her parents, stunned into silence, watched as she stormed out of the hut.

Paige ran into the yard. Only when she was sure she was alone did she let a tear leak out, but before she knew it, she was crying into the mane of the white pony. "I have to get out of here," she whispered, "Far away, and never come back." She was decided. That night, after everyone in the small hut was asleep on their cots and her father out drinking, Paige dug up the food storage bag they buried in the floor to keep the long-term food. Then she stuffed as much as her saddlebags could carry, then stuffed her daypack as well. Running out to the yard, she turned back suddenly to grab a bag-full of grain to supplement the ponies' diet of grass, making it light enough to carry. They wouldn't be needing it anymore. Paige knew she was traveling heavy, but she had no idea how long the journey would be. While she was saddling the pony, the dog walked up to her. In his mouth he held the boots that she always forgot to put on the pony, to keep his legs from getting sore. Looking at the dog's face, always submissive yet affectionate, she knew she couldn't leave him behind. "Oh, alright, you pushy mutt." Running back to the hut as lightly as she could, she unhooked some strips of dried beef from the ceiling. She turned around to see a pair of eyes staring solemnly at her. Stifling a gasp, she peered closer at the dim figure. Letting out an anxious breath, she said "Ma, I have to do this. I can't go on living this way. If I become a knight, I'll send money back to you, I promise. And I'll visit and-" Her mother hushed her. Holding her close, she slipped a small bag into Paige's palm. The soft clink it made as it traded hands confirmed that it was money.

"Use it well daughter, and, become who you will, do not forget your mother." With tears in her eyes, Paige buried her face in her mothers' robes again, feeling like a child. "Thank you Ma, I'll come back for you, I will." Smiling, the old, wrinkled woman gently pushed Paige away and said

"I know, now GO! Buy a new outfit at the market and go straight to the palace training master. Here are signed papers with my consent on it. GO!" As Paige swung herself onto the pony's back, she looked back for her mother, but the old woman had slipped back inside. Feeling free for the first time, she let out a whoop of joy and kicked the pony into a gallop. They sped along the cobblestoned streets, the dog following close behind. Stopping at the edge of the slums, Paige shouted a last goodbye for all to hear, "So long, miserable people, one day I'll be a knight, and you'll be sorry! Sorry for everything!" With that, she whirled the pony around and set off at a trot towards her new life.

Paige rode on all night, and when dawn came, she was exhausted. She slowed the pony to a stop and slid off his back, leading him off the road. She then ate some of the rice she'd stored in the saddlebags, and ate some of the dried meat strips as well. She fed some meat to the dog, then walked over to the sweating pony. She brushed him and talked to him, letting him eat some of the grain from the bag, then let him out to graze. When everyone was taken care of, Paige let herself lie down in the grass. Her heavy eyelids started to close, and she told herself, "You can rest, but just for a minute." Then she shut her tired eyes, and soon she was asleep.

A cold nose in her ear made her eyes snap open. When he saw she was awake, the mutt whined and bounced back a few paces. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Paige sat up blearily. It was very light out, she noticed, and she looked to the sky. She yelped in surprise and scrambled to her feet. The sun was almost above her head, which meant it was an hour to mid-day. She had slept too long. Hurriedly, Paige packed the saddlebags she had used for a pillow back up and was about to latch them onto the saddle when she realized it was not there. She looked around, hoping she had just placed it somewhere else, but the saddle wasn't there. It had been old and ratty, but it was still a saddle, and she needed it to hold the saddlebags. "Of course," Paige shouted to the sky, "of course this journey couldn't just be easy for ONCE in my life." As she stomped to get the pony, she heard a soft whine. Turning around, she saw the dog sitting in the grass, his muzzle bound harshly with coarse rope. "I'm sorry; I didn't even think you'd try to stop them. Good boy, good boy." Paige continued to murmur to her dog while she unbound his muzzle. Once he was free, she once again contemplated how to carry the saddlebags. She couldn't spare much more time, so she decided to hope the city wasn't much farther away and to just leave the supplies. She knew that it was a foolhardy idea, but she didn't have much other choice. She walked over to the pony and untied the hobbles from its legs. As she started to coil the rope, dejectedly twirling it around her arm, she got an idea.

Soon they were off, the dog trotting beside the girl and pony. Paige sat tall, riding bareback, heels locked tight at the pony's sides. On either side of her legs, the saddlebags, suspended by rope and tied around Paige's waist, slapped lightly along with the rhythm of the pony's trot.

After Paige had stopped for a late lunch, she was riding hard. Worried that she might miss the day that the pages had to register at the palace, she urged the pony to canter along the road. She was beginning to feel as if they would never make it, when, over the hill, she saw the roofs of many tall buildings, and heard a distant sound of chatter. Sighing in relief, she let the pony slow to a trot. Seeing that she still had about two miles to go, she occupied herself with random chatting to her horse and dog. "You know, my friends," she began, "Now that I am to be a knight, you two should have proper names, as a knight's companions." Thinking hard she finally decided. "You, dog, will be named Milo, because that is a wonderful name, not to important or fierce, but not wimpy either." Struggling to keep her voice noble-sounding, she tried to leave out her lower-city accent as much as possible. "As for you, my noble steed, your name shou- shall," she corrected herself, "be Peach, after Lady Kel's warhorse Peachblossom." Very satisfied with these two names, she rode into the city.

The sounds of the marketplace overwhelmed her. Paige had never seen such a busy place. She slowly guided Peach through the crowd, routinely checking behind her to make sure Milo was following. She needn't have worried. The mutt was experienced with crowds and stayed right at the horse's heels. Soon, Paige spotted a friendly-looking dressmakers shop, and made her way toward it. She tied Peach to one of the designated horse-posts off the streets and said sternly to Milo, "Now, I need you to stay here and guard Peach, to make sure no one steals him. Stay." With that, she turned around and walked into the shop.


	2. Chapter 2

After what seemed like forever, Paige walked out of the dressmakers shop. She now had on a new gown. It was a light green with light blue stitching, slim three-quarter-length sleeves, and a skirt that almost reached the ground. It was a simple gown, but, despite her protests, its neckline was lower that she liked, not quite revealing, but on the brink of being, and it hugged tight to her body in a way that made her uncomfortable in public and made her itch. She had outright refused the corset, as she was not ready for the fashion that seemed to be gripping the upper-class ladies, quite literally. They had corsets drawn so tightly about them that a man could put both hands on each side of a woman's waist and almost overlap his fingers. Paige personally thought that this was ridiculous and dismissed the corset without a thought to it. Then came the matter of shoes. Paige had spent most of her life barefoot, and had never really thought about her feet much. But the lady, who refused to look at them until Paige had taken a proper bath and cleaned herself up, exclaimed that they were much too big. She then showed Paige her own, ridiculously small feet, and asked why her parents hadn't bound her feet at birth, so she might have proper-sized lady-feet. Tsking, the lady went to the backrooms to find shoes, and Paige looked at herself in the mirror for the first time in years. Now that she was clean, she decided she wasn't ugly. She had straight, brown hair down to her waist, which she decided would have to be cut to shoulder length. Her face was not heart-shaped, like the proper ladies of the time, but oval-ish and just as beautiful. Her cheekbones were high in her face, to give her a fierce look, and her eyes were pure green, not with any brown in them like most people's eyes. Her lips were full and pinkish-red, but they didn't stand out as much as they would with pale skin, for Paige's skin was lightly tanned from working in the sun, with a few freckles dusted across her nose, which was almost too big, but balanced out the rest of her features. The lady came back with a pair of shoes in hand. "Now dear, you said no heels, so I did my best, but I'm afraid that you won't be very fashionable in these. And I just don't know WHAT to do about your skin. It's much too tan for a lady, but I suppose you'll do. Paige slipped on the white flats, wondering how on earth she was supposed to run in these, as they left most of the top of her foot bare except her toes, and barely encased her heel. But she needed to hurry and could see that it was futile to ask for anything mobile, for apparently ladies didn't wear such things. Peering out at the sky, she saw that it was four hours past noon, and that she needed to hurry to the palace. "Excuse me madam," she said quietly, "But would it be possible to cut my hair here?"

"Oh, sure darling, of course! Shall I trim it?"

"Well, I would like it to be cut to shoulder length, it is necessary."

"But why darling? Your hair is beautiful like it is!"

"Please just cut it. Nothing fancy."

"Well, alright then," said the lady doubtfully. She took out some evil-looking large scissors and started expertly cutting, making it slightly shorter in the back and slightly longer in the front. Once she was done, Paige looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was shoulder-length except for one piece on the right side of her face. They were cut shorter than the others, curving in into her forehead almost down to her eye, still revealing her widows-peak. Paige rather liked it. "Thank you madam, it's much better now. How much is everything?" The lady went into the back room and came out again a few moments later. "Two gold nobles and a copper-" Paige startled at the sum and checked the bag of money her mother had given her, "But for you," the lady continued, "Three silver nobles." Paige handed over the money, then turned and headed out of the shop, calling over her shoulder "Thank you madam!"

Once Paige had untied Peach, she encountered another issue. How was she supposed to ride in this dress? She'd seen a few ladies riding side-saddle, but that looked uncomfortable, and the fact that she didn't have a saddle ruled out that idea. But Paige was thinking clearly now that she was full, clean, and awake, and almost immediately found a solution. She took her knife out and slashed the skirt of the dress from the bottom all the way to a pint a little bit past her knee. Then, ignoring the disapproving stares of passerby, she hopped onto her pony's back and set off towards the palace.

Paige rode into the courtyard, feeling out of place. She had never been anywhere NEAR something this grand. Struggling to take it all in, she almost didn't notice a small man who was asking if he could take her horse to the stables. "We will leave his tack right outside the stall for you, miss," he said, taking a hold of Peach's reins, "Don't worry, nothing will be stolen, and your dog will be properly fed." Paige hesitated then answered, "Alright, thank you," and to Milo, she said, "Go with him please. It's alright, I'll come to find you." Milo looked at her, then trotted off to catch up with the man leading Peach. Taking a deep breath, Paige entered the palace.

"Alright, you're cleared to go." The voice of the training master rang through his small study. Paige barely held back a sigh of relief. Finally, this whole nerve-wracking experience was over. It had been a nervous wait under the training masters' gaze. As she turned to leave, he asked "What is your family land holding? Paige of. . .?" _Uh-Oh,_ she thought to herself, _here it comes. _"Sir, my family doesn't own any land." Paige whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, my family owns no land, except for the plot our house is on."

"Well, how will you pay to stay here?"

Paige gulped, and went on, "Well, sir, my family makes money by farming. We are. . .not rich. But here is all of the money we could spare," she handed over the bag of coins, "and, I was hoping sir, that maybe I could come here on. . .as they call it, a scholarship." There, it was out. Paige quickly looked down, hands gripped tightly behind her back.

"Well, well. We've never had a request like this before," said the training master, smoothing the small goatee on his chin thoughtfully, "Knights are nobles, this is a well-known fact." Paige blushed and looked at her feet in the small, uncomfortable shoes.

"But, as these are new times," he began again, and Paige looked up hopefully, "We will give you half of the training year, then you will stand for an assessment. Then we shall know if you are worth it." It was as good as she could hope for. Even Keladry had been forced on probation in her first year, and she was a noble. Barely able to control her excitement, Paige instead nodded respectfully and said, "Thank you sir." He smiled slightly, "You are welcome," he replied, "Your rooms are down the hall."

After she had unpacked, which hadn't taken very long due to the absence of important possessions, Paige took a look around her room. She had a nice bed, a closet for her clothes, and even her own bathroom, with everything from soap, shampoo, and a tub to a chamber pot. As she was looking around, she spotted a note on her bedside table. It read; _Since you have no training clothes of your own, the palace will supply you with hose, tunics, shoes, and other necessary items. These must be returned if you do not continue with page training._ Only after reading that did she become aware of how she was dressed. Was it proper? For the first time, she regretted cutting the dress. Looking at herself in the full-length mirror by her closet, she twirled. The rip was hidden well enough in the folds of the skirt that, if she didn't do anything too drastic, it shouldn't be too noticeable. Overhead the bell was clanging, signaling them into the halls. Steeling herself, she said to herself, "It can't be as bad as the training master." With this in mind, she opened her door and stepped out into the hallway.

She could feel them looking her over; their gaze raking down her from her face to her feet. Some disdainful, realizing she was much older than she should be, some looking at her body, only interested in appearance, and still some people, clinging to the male-superiority pretenses, gazing at her with hostility. She looked at each of them in turn, appraising them. Some looked curious, so they could be friendly. Almost all of the people standing in the halls were eleven years old, except for three boys,that looked between twelve and fourteen, who stood making jokes and pushing each other around. There were two first-year girls out of the 20 people who stood in the hallway, aside from Paige. _So,_ she thought, _that makes girls the minority then. Even after all these years, girls are still afraid to try for a shield._ Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the older boys yelling at her, "Oi! Little miss pretty! Aren't you a bit old for this?" Paige looked back at them, her face coloring slightly. It was the oldest boy who'd commented. "Well, look who's talking. I would think you should be at home, taking care of your grandchildren, not slaving away here." The surprised look on their faces was enough to make the comment worth getting everyone's attention worth it, and one side of her mouth quirked up. The boys were still looking dumbfounded when the training master and older pages came striding down into the first-years wing. Paige felt her heart sink when she could distinguish no girls among the crowd. The group moved slowly down the hall. Paige was getting nervous, and heard only quips of conversation. "Who will sponsor Jenette of LaRousel?" Paige's head snapped up as she heard one of the girls being picked. "I will," replied a voice, a small bit too high to be male. Stepping forward from the group was a tall girl, with broad shoulders and muscled arms, her short blonde hair drawn back into a small ponytail. Her face had a fierce look about it, but her blue eyes were kind, and Paige could tell she was a girl everyone liked, or feared. Soon it was the other girls turn to be picked. A lean, dark-haired boy stepped forward and, smiling back at the tall girl, decided to sponsor the first-year. Now there were just the older-than-usual first-years left. The training master's voice rang through the stone hallway, "Who will sponsor thirteen-year-old Paige?"

"Paige of who?" called a voice from somewhere in the crowd of boys. Trying to save herself some dignity, Paige said quietly, "Just Paige." A hush fell over the group. "What did you say, child?" asked the training master. Wishing she had kept silent, she said more strongly, "Just Paige, if it please you, sir." There was a pause, then a boy of fourteen stepped out of the crowd, saying loudly, "I'll sponsor our 'Just Paige' if it so pleases you, sir." Blushing an even deeper shade of pink, she made fists so hard she left imprints on her palms. The training master sighed, "Very well, Kennan, but no nonsense." At the name, Paige looked up, and her eyes met blue-gray ones. The boy was very tall, and his head was a mass of red curls. He looked very much like Cleon of Kennan, Kel's legendary "secret" love. Guessing what she was thinking, the boy smiled and said, "All you girls seem to know about my dear ol' Daddy and Lady Kel, huh?" When Paige didn't reply, the big boy held out a hand, "It's nice to meet you, Paige, my name's Corey. Corey of Kennan. Not e very nice name, I know, but hey." Tentatively, Paige shook his hand. "Where are you from, Paige?"

"Um, the lower city," she said quietly. She had decided to be truthful, better not to carry out a lie

"Wow, really? And how'd you get all the way here?"

"I rode my pony."

"Well, yeah, but I mean, how'd a street girl like you ever get a dream as big as this. Most of you are already married by now."

"Well, yeah, but that's just the thing, ain't it?" Paige replied, slipping back into street cant, "I just couldn't stand around and have babies. I wanna be better 'n that."

"Well, little girl," Corey said, flipping her semi-bangs playfully, "you've come to the right place! Or the wrong, depending on how you look at it."

"Wrong?" asked Paige, confused. Corey let out a hearty laugh, and Paige decided he was a fun-loving person. She was still deciding whether it was nice or weird. "Well," he began, "It's the wrong place for our delicate little lily-ladies, and don't take this wrong, but you sure look like one." Paige had opened her mouth to give a hot retort, but Corey continued, "But if you want to stay out of the streets and are prepared to work your little-lady butt off for it, then this is the right place. And if you like to torture yourself and watch others moan in pain, then this is your own little piece of heaven." Paige couldn't help but smile at that, and apparently, neither could the group, who had all been listening. They broke out in giggling, and some even let out whoops of agreement. The training master however, was not amused. "If you are quite finished Paige, Kennan?" Looking properly ashamed, Corey apologized to the training master and pushed Paige into the cluster of people who immediately began questioning her. "Are you really from the lower-city?" "Is it disgusting there?" "Is it true you only wash once a YEAR there?!" But Paige wasn't paying attention. She was watching the older boys get sponsored. "Malcolm of Ocean's Gate, twelve years old?" A second-year who was about Malcolms' age decided to sponsor him. The training master then called out to the page that had teased her; "Devin of Ocean's Gate, fifteen years old. Who will sponsor him?" A stocky senior page decided to sponsor him. He shook hands with Devin then towed the lanky boy back to the group, with a no-nonsense look on his face. The training masters' voice rang out for the last time, "Now, who will sponsor fourteen-year-old Jaymor of Ocean's Gate?" For a minute no one volunteered. Then one small third-year stepped forward, but before he could say anything, the training master refused. "You are not allowed to sponsor for this year, Queenscove." Paige looked questioningly up at her own sponsor, and Corey nodded. "He's the son of our very own Sir Nealan of Queenscove and Lady Yukimi," he confirmed, "Now, I'll see if I can't help out our lonely friend." Before Paige could ask what he was up to, Corey had stepped out in front. "I offer to sponsor Jaymor of Ocean's Gate. I believe I can handle the dual-responsibility." The training master, looking around and seeing that there was no one else who would take the boy, nodded and threw up his hands. "Dismissed," he cried and stormed off down the hallway.

"Sorry you had to take two people," Jaymor told Corey apologetically as they walked to the dining hall. Paige noticed he had a soft voice, not at all commanding like his brothers' voices. "Not at all, I was going to take you before I saw this one here," replied the perpetually smiling Corey, patting Paige on the head.

"I'm not a dog," said Paige, shaking off his hand, and continued, "So, that means you take the rejects? I know I'm a double-dose of unusual here, but I don't understand why you," she was now addressing Jaymor, "Weren't snapped right up like the rest of your brothers."

"I'm not important," he told her uncaringly.

"What? What do ya-you, sorry, mean?"

"Well, my oldest brother gets all of the inheritance, and we are a very important Barony, so everyone wants to get on his good side. My little brother is Mother's favorite, because he's 'cute and cuddly' apparently, so again, just getting on the barony's good sides."

Noting the disdain he put towards his brothers, Paige asked Jaymor rather jokingly, "So, you don't think you're brother's cute and cuddly?" One side of his mouth quirked slightly, dimpling his cheek. "Oh, he's just a TEDDY BEAR," Jaymor replied sarcastically, "A big, fluffy, evil, obnoxious teddy bear plotting to kill me." Corey laughed and Paige couldn't help but giggle. Then she found she couldn't stop. It had been so long since she'd laughed, she couldn't remember when she had last even smiled before entering the city. She had to stop walking and stood in the middle of the hallway, clutching her sides, giggling uncontrollably. "You're crazy. You're really crazy." The soft remark had come, not from Corey, but from Jaymor. Gasping for air, she looked up into two pairs of blue eyes. The amused face of the redhead, and the laughing but slightly worried eyes of Jaymor caused her to double over laughing again. She sat down on the floor, trying to regain her composure. "What happened to your dress?" asked Corey, "It's got a big rip up the skirt." "Oh, I put it there," Paige replied, breathing hard, "It's impossible to ride with a closed skirt. But now that it seems I'll be getting hose, I regret doing it, as I can't sew. But, what's done is done." Hopping up, she smoothed over the place where she'd cut the dress. About to set off again, Jaymor spoke again, "Would you like me to mend it for you?" he asked, a little shyly, "The dress, I mean. I've experience sewing."

"Oh, would you? That'd be GREAT!"

"Oh, sure. You can change into training clothes after dinner, then bring the dress over to my room, alright?"

"Alright," said Paige as they walked into the dining hall "Whoa, this is big!" There were rows upon rows of tables, all with food on them. And so many people! It seemed like everyone was there! "Young grasshopper, you have much to learn," said Corey in a fake Shang Instructor accent. Feeling at home for the first time since setting foot in the palace, Paige gave him one of her "Are you serious?" looks, grabbed his arm and said, while towing him to one of the tables, "Now you, my friend, have problems." All three of them laughing, they sat down next to a scared-looking bunch of second-years and started animatedly chatting about the "absence of bathrooms" in the lower city. Without a word, the second-years inched away until the threesome had the entire table to themselves. "You know," said Corey, "we should do that more often!"  
"Shut up and eat Corey." Paige told him.

"Watch your mouth young grasshopper!" Jaymor said, teasingly.

"Oooh! Look who's finally realized he's allowed to talk!" Corey yelled, a bit too loudly. "Shhhh!" Paige warned him, "You really ARE crazy!"

"Yeah, Corey, shhh!" Jaymor copied Paige mockingly.

"You're no help," she said, flicking a green bean at him. And so the dinner passed, with more food flinging than eating, and Paige felt as if she were floating. She knew she would stay here, no matter how hard it was, if only to stay with her newly-made friends.


	3. Chapter 3

After dinner, Paige went back to her rooms and quickly changed out of her dress. She looked in her dresser and saw layers of fresh clothes. She wasn't quite sure how to dress herself in all of those things, so she started with the things she were familiar to her or glaringly obvious. Undergarments, hose, and shoes first. Paige was delighted with the shoes, made of supple leather, durable and comfy. Then came the weird things. There was the shirt with buttons on the left side, or the right side, depending on how you put it on, and Paige wasn't very sure how to reach all of them, for the few times she had ever used buttons in her life were either on someone else or on her shoes. So she just buttoned the bottom few and hoped that the loose tunic would cover it up. It still felt bunched up and weird, but it was the best she could do. Feeling thoroughly stupid now, Paige lifted the tunic over her head, then tied the rope that kept it on around her waist. Then she took a green ribbon from the nightstand and tied back her newly-shortened hair into a ponytail. As she walked around her room, her bangs bounced lightly against her forehead. "that's something I'll need to get used to," she told herself absentmindedly, "and I also should stop talking to myself. It's a bit weird." Looking at herself in the mirror, she did a quick once-over. Her shirt was horribly bunched up under her armpits and at her neck, but she'd worn worse. She felt a sudden urge to look closer at her face. She had seen a maid walking in the hallway that was, and she didn't know why she noticed, quite ugly. Paige didn't quite know why she suddenly cared, but she looked anyway. "No uni-brow," she told herself, "that's good." Her nose WAS large she noticed. Bigger than most girls noses. And she was getting dry patches of skin on her cheeks, right under her eyes. Then she pulled away from the mirror. "What are you doing?" she asked herself, "you've come here to be a knight, not to be beautiful." But, despite her efforts to deny it, she did want to be pretty. Scolding herself mentally, she threw a cloak over the mirror, grabbed some carrots and meat chunks she'd stolen from dinner, slung her dress over her shoulder, and set off down the hall.

"Ok, I'm officially hopelessly lost," Paige told herself, finally resigning to the fact that she would have to knock on some strangers door. _Oh, whoopee, _she thought. Walking up to a random door, number 446 she noted, she brought her hand up and knocked. She waited for a minute, and was about to give up when the door creaked open, and out into the hallway tottered a drunk third-year page. There seemed to be other people in the room, and Paige could hear their protests, their speech fuzzy. The boy in the hallway finally seemed to have focused on Paige. "Oh look," he said, his voice as slurred by alcohol as his friends', "If it isn't the little lower-city brat, who thinks she's as good as us! Have at you!" He'd pulled out a small dagger and sliced downward. Paige only had time to block the swing, so she brought up her hand, and the dagger thudded into something soft. Paige didn't have time to think about what she was holding, and before the inebriated boy could get the dagger back up, Paige hit his stomach, hard. Doubling over, the boy moaned. He was so drunk that his body couldn't support him bending in half and he fell over onto the stone floor, where he lay moaning and belching. Paige looked at her hand. She held an almost sliced-in-half carrot. She had beaten the boy with a carrot. Suddenly, a soft voice behind her voiced the exact same thought; "You beat him with a carrot?" asked Jaymor asked incredulously. Paige whirled around. "I've been looking all OVER for you! Then I got lost and stopped to ask for directions, then he came out and was gonna stab me and I wasn't 'bout ta let that happen and. . .here we are. Oh," she added as an afterthought, "Here's the dress." Jaymor took the dress gently from her outstretched arms. "Um, Paige?" he asked tentatively. "Yeah?" she replied, still a little bewildered.

"Would you mind telling me why you have a carrot?"

"What? Oh, yes, the carrots. I was going to visit Milo and Peach – my dog and my pony – to make sure they've settled in."

"Um, can I come with you? I have nothing to do besides mend the dress, and that'll only take a few minutes, and I'd like to meet your 'best friends', as you said at dinner."

"Sure. Um, do you know the way to the stables? Because I'm. . ."

"-Not familiar with the grounds yet," Jaymor finished for her, "Just let me drop your dress off at my room. It's not far." And with that he started down the hallway. Paige looked back at the boy she'd beaten. He was sitting up now, and rubbing his eyes like he'd just woken up. Satisfied that he would live, she set off at a trot after the retreating back of Jaymor.

"So, what made you decide to come here?" she asked Jaymor as he put her dress carefully on the bed. "Oh, just. . .family reasons. Really it doesn't matter if I become a knight or a hobo to my family," he paused and smiled wryly, then went on, "But I I've always had a bit of a hold over my brothers, and I saw how important them becoming a knight was to my family, even though they were overage. So I came here, and my brothers followed. Why? What's your reason?"

"I've always dreamed of becoming a knight, to get out of the slums," Paige said, "But I never really got the motivation until about a day and a half ago, I was fetching water, and a man attacked me. I managed to escape before he could. . .do anything to me, but then I knew. I knew I had to leave if I didn't want my fate to be the same as most other women there, oppressed, poor, sick, and none the wiser about a better life."

"I didn't know life was so. . .bad."

"Oh, it is that bad there," she said matter-of-factly, "Especially for women. Many are just taken off the streets each year, and the men just go out and find new wives. Many are attacked and raped right before their husbands eyes, and he doesn't do anything about it."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Why? It's not your fault, well at least not directly. Nobles don't know any other life than theirs."

"I don't think that's true," Jaymor protested softly. His blue eyes searched for hers, and when she met his gaze she was surprised at all the amount of knowledge there. "Well," she tried to defend her position shakily, "you all sure act that way."

"Do I?" he asked, releasing her from his stare, "I sure hope not. I've spent many a summer day down at some of the villages the barony owns. Many are poor, as they don't harvest as much as father would like, and I know what it's like. I know that our villages are nothing compared to the lower city-"

"-You've got that right,"

"-but can you see that I'm not as stuck-up and self-important as my title claims me to be?"

Paige stared at him for a little longer. He definitely was better than a normal noble, and she couldn't just drop him, he was her friend. Nervously, Jaymor brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes again. Paige was noticing that this was a habit of his, which was actually quite funny, as his hair just reached his eyes and would fall right back. Smiling in spite of herself, she started laughing again. Jaymor relaxed, "I just want to be friends," he said, "You're very. . .interesting." Paige, making herself stop laughing before it could get out of control again, replied, "I'm 'interesting'? Way to make me feel like a thing of study. It's a JOKE," she said quickly as Jaymor opened his mouth to protest, "Man, you are a piece of work. You take everything so LITTERALLY. Come on," Paige continued without waiting for his reply, "I'll show you my animals."

"You know they'll give you a real warhorse to use for jousting and stuff," Jaymor told Paige. He had taken quite a liking to Peach and was rubbing his nose while feeding him some grain. Milo was flopped into a haystack, where Paige sat beside him, rubbing his ears. "I know," she replied, "But I can still keep Peach, right?" "Oh sure," said Jaymor, "as long as you can pay for a stall to keep him in." "WHAT?" Paige cried, jumping to her feet, "I can't afford that! Can't he just. . .wander around eating grass? He doesn't have to stay in a stall, he never has before."

"He can be tethered outside with the livestock miss," said a respectful voice from the hayloft. "Who's there?" Paige asked, straining to see who was up in the loft.

"I'm the hostler. I keep the stables miss," said the voice again, "You could keep your horse tethered outside the barn, near the livestock. There's plenty of grass and a shelter if it's raining." Suddenly a head popped up over the edge of the loft. It was a man of about 40 or so, starting to bald from the very top of his head. He had large eyes that were brown, contrasting his blonde hair, and a wide mouth that was meant for smiling. "It's right behind the barn miss, if you would like to put your steed there, it's free of charge." Thanking Mithros for her luck, she shouted back at the disappearing form of the hostler "Thank you sir!" they heard a faint, "Much obliged, madam," then silence. Paige shrugged and put Peach's halter. She led him around to the back of the stables and tied his lead rope to the fence. He had enough slack that he could move around and graze without a problem, and could go under the shelter if necessary. It wasn't a large yard, there were a few pigs walking around, a chicken coop, and two goats that lay under the wooden shelter with Peach. Satisfied that he was safe and sound, Paige went back into the barn to collect her things. Jaymor was petting Milo on the haystack when she entered. "Is he allowed to come to my rooms?" Paige asked, "Or does he have to stay here?"

"He can be in your room, but he can't use your room as a toilet, or he'll have to live out here in the stables. Dogs are now allowed in the palace, what with the King needing his guide dogs about him all the time. Ready to go?" Jaymor asked.

"Yep," Paige replied, "Let's go. Tomorrow's a big day." Trying to fight down her mounting excitement for tomorrow, Paige whistled for Milo to come with her. Wagging his tail, the mutt set off at a trot, following Paige closely.


	4. Chapter 4

"You students need to get into your chambers!" the high voice of the groundskeeper rand through the halls, "It's past the time you should have been in bed!"

"But sir," protested Paige, "I can't find my way back to-"

"NO more excuses! Get to bed, NOW!" he screamed and walked down the hallway, routinely peering back at her. With a sigh, she slipped into Jaymor's room, pretending it was her own. They had gone their separate ways when they'd entered, but Paige had gotten hopelessly lost in the various corridors and ended up back in the hallway she'd beaten the drunk boy up in. Trying to find her way back, the hall patroller caught her and she had no choice but to pretend like she knew where she was. "Jay," she whispered into the darkness, "Jaymor, it's Paige. JAY!" her last whisper was harsh and rather loud. "What the-?" she heard a voice coming from the bathroom, then the door to the bathroom opened and Jaymor stepped out, lighting up the darkened room enough to see Paige; and for Paige to see him.

"Augh! Sorry, sorry!" she apologized hurriedly and looked away quickly from Jaymor's naked form. "Paige, what the hell? Hold on." he said, and Paige heard the rustling of a towel being quickly drawn about him. Crouching against the wall, face hidden in her hands, Paige suggested, "You might want to light some lanterns."

"Oh, yeah," was the reply, and there was the sound of a match being lit, "You can look now." Paige got up, hands falling away from her face. Jaymor had lit the oil lamps in his room, which was almost as bare as hers, she noticed. He did have a small armory of weapons lined up against one wall, but that was about it, and aside from the books and quills scattered all over the desk, she wouldn't think anyone lived there. Her eyes turned to Jaymor, his dark hair, even more in his eyes than ever, was dripping wet, as was the rest of him. The towel was wrapped around his lower half like a skirt, leaving his upper body bare. He was well-muscled, probably from practicing with his weapons, but had a lanky build. "Um, why are you here?" he asked, breaking her train of thought.

"I got lost, the hall patroller yelled at me and I couldn't get back to my rooms, and I knew you were in here, so I. . .pretended it was my room and, well, here I am." A scratching at the door reminded her to let Milo in "Oh, sorry boy!" she murmured an apology to her dog, then shut the door again. "You're really tall," Paige told Jaymor, breaking the silence.

"Well yeah, so I'm told."

"I'm really not doing well on my first day here," she said, sinking to the floor and putting her head in her hands, "I've gotten lost twice, beat up a boy I don't even know, and now I can't find my cursed ROOM!" Groaning to herself, she missed Jaymor's soft reply.

"What?" she asked.

Clearing his throat, he said louder, "You could stay here tonight. There's no sense in wandering about the halls when neither of us know where to go." Paige was surprised that this shy boy would offer to share his room with her the first day they'd met, she felt flattered. "That would be great! Thanks! Um, do our clothes need to be fresh for the inspection?" she asked.

"Well yes, that is a problem, but you haven't worn those clothes for long and, frankly, you really need some instructions on how to wear them. I'll lend you one of my robes for the night, and you can wear your clothes again tomorrow." Blushing slightly, Paige went to Jaymor's closet and helped herself to one of his large bathrobes. "You can go back to your bath now," she told Jaymor, "I'll set up the cot myself.

After Jaymor had gone back into the bathroom, Paige undressed and laid her clothes out in a row, so that they wouldn't wrinkle. Then she put on the robe. It was made of a wonderful silken fabric that felt like water over her skin. She had never worn something so beautiful-feeling. She bound the silk rope around her waist and got out the extra cot that every room had. She stole a pillow from Jaymor's bed and a spare blanket from the closet, then got some water from the wash-basin for Milo to drink. Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, and Jaymor poked his head around the edge, "Paige," he asked, "Could you get me a robe please?" Laughing to herself, Paige took a robe from the closet and passed it to her friend behind the door. Soon he came out of the bathroom, wearing a duplicate of the robe Paige was wearing. "These are WONDERFUL robes you have!" Paige exclaimed, "They're so light!" She noticed Jaymor wasn't responding, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "Hello? Are you alright? JAY!" That seemed to snap him out of it. "I'm sorry, I'm just. . .really tired." He said, turning pink. "Well, in that case, we should go to sleep," replied Paige, crawling into the cot.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked, suddenly wanting to know. "Well," he replied, "I'm afraid of sorcerers, the ones that use their power for weird powerful magic, and I'm afraid of girls." Paige snorted at this. "You're not afraid of me! At least not anymore."

"Well, I know you now. I'm afraid of talking to girls I don't know. What are you afraid of?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Well, let's see," Paige said, "I'm afraid of being cooped up for life, I'm afraid of rapists, and I'm afraid of earthquakes."

"Oh," said Jaymor. Paige suddenly had an idea. "On one of the breaks," she told him, "I'm going to take you into the city, and I'm going to drag you around to every pretty girl we see and make you say hi. Then you can get over your fear." Paige looked up to see Jaymor vigorously shaking his head. "We'll see," she told him sneakily, "G'night! And thanks."

Jaymor grunted in reply, and so passed their first night in the royal palace.


	5. Chapter 5

Paige opened her eyes and was suddenly wide awake. She was in a strange room with a man. A gripping fear clutched at her heart, squeezing her chest tight. Then she remembered, she was in Jaymor's room. Jaymor was a friend. "Mithros, Paige," she scolded herself, letting out a deep breath, "you should get used to men. There are a lot more where you're going." Then she busied herself with getting ready for her first day of training. Picked up her clothes and walked into the bathroom. As she was dressing, she was tempted to steal the silken robe. "Stop it Paige," scolding herself yet again, "You're not in the streets anymore. Not to mention that it would be extremely random." Still, it was with some difficulty that she let go of the robe and watched it flutter onto the mattress that Jaymor was sleeping on. "Time to wake up," she told him. His response was to grunt and roll onto his other side. Paige had dealt with this response in too many of her older siblings to be miffed. Quickly and expertly, she licked her index finger, blew on it gently to get it cold, and stuck it straight into Jaymor's ear. He shouted and jumped up into a sitting position, clutching his pillow. "What in the name of the Goddess was THAT for?"

"For not getting up," Paige replied, peering out the door. A few other people were in the halls, including a few servants. They pointed at her and murmured confusedly. Quickly, Paige shut the door. "Uh-oh," she remarked, "I think I've been spotted." Shrugging, Jaymor took his clothes and went into the bathroom. Paige went over to the window and opened it. Leaning out, she saw a beautiful courtyard and, across the yard, her room, with its unmistakable saddlebags stacked carelessly against the windowsill. Suddenly Paige felt a breeze on the side of her face as Milo jumped out through the window, clearing the sill and landing neatly on the other side. "If you want to run around," she told her dog sternly, "go ahead. But I won't be able to let you in until lunch, and don't eat anything from the barnyard." Many people said she was stupid to talk to her animals like human beings, but Paige thought that, if you treat a thing like its intelligent, it will act intelligently. Her animals sure showed that to her, and as Milo gave a bark and raced away, Paige knew that he understood.

When Jaymor came out of the bathroom, evidently not happy about waking up at this early hour, the first thing he commented on was, "You have nice morning hair."

_What? _thought Paige, bewildered. Then Jaymor turned her around to face the mirror. Her hair was sticking out at odd angles in a way that made her look sort of cool, if also funny. Hurriedly she smoothed her unruly hair down and took a brush to it. Soon it lay flat against her head. An earsplitting clanging reached her ears, and she turned to leave the room. "Whoa there!" exclaimed Jaymor, "What did you do to your clothes?" Looking down at herself, Paige blushed. Jaymor walked over to her and started undoing the buttons on her right side. Quickly, Paige jerked away, her body acting separately from her mind.

"Don't!" she said sharply.

Looking surprised, Jaymor said, "I was just trying to help you get your clothes on right. I won't hurt you." Looking ashamed, Paige replied, "I know. I don't know what came over me, I just. . .I just don't like my clothes touched by. . .men. Sorry."

A look of sympathy played over Jaymor's face. "Wow," he said, "and you thought _I _was a piece of work! Here, you unbutton it then, and I'll re-button it properly. Then I won't be 'unclothing' you." Without further delay, as they could hear people about in the hallways, Paige unbuttoned her shirt with some difficulty. Then Jaymor came over and gently re-buttoned it easily in one straight line. "Alright," said Paige, tying the rope around her tunic again, "let's go." Jaymor gave the shoulders of her tunic a little tug, and then nodded. Together, they stepped into the hallway.

A hush fell over the bustling hall. Then, as suddenly as it had started, the silence ceased, and there was more talk than ever. Paige thought she caught the words "slut" and "scandal" and "on the first day too, they barely even know each other." Rolling her eyes, Paige glanced at Jaymor. He grimaced and shrugged, "What can we do?" he asked. As they set off down the hall, they were met with both winks and disdainful looks from the servants AND pages. When they entered the dining hall it wasn't any better. Someone even shouted over the crowd "Street prostitutes don't belong here!" Paige refused even to look at the speaker. They got their food as quickly as they could and sat down next to Corey, who asked, "So how was it?" Paige's mouth fell open. "How was what?" Jaymor inquired, confused. "You don't actually believe them do you?" Paige asked incredulously. "Not anymore I don't," replied Corey, "But what were you doing in his room anyway?"

Blushing, Paige looked down, embarrassed, "I couldn't find my way back to my own room, so I slept in his room. On a COT mind you. We did not share a bed or anything like that, I promise," she added trying to drive her point to home. Smiling his usual big grin, Corey told her "Don't worry, it'll cool down in a few days. The teachers don't even do anything about it anymore, there were so many rumors. I'm just saying guys," he said, grinning slyly, "I'm all for getting some, but on the first day wouldn't be wise." Gasping, Paige countered "You're disgusting. He was just helping me out! Goddess, boys are stupid. And besides," she looked at Corey disdainfully, "How would YOU know about that? You're fifteen!"

"See that maid wiping down that table over there?" he asked them, pointing to a table in the far corner, "I met her in my second year, and we've been together ever since. She's my sweetheart, and we may only be fifteen, but we know about love."

"I don't know whether that's cute or creepy," Paige told him, "You're much too young to be. . .sleeping together. What do fifteen-year-olds know about love?"

"It was only once," Corey said defensively.

"And you'd be surprised how much we can know about love by fifteen." Jaymor chimed in quietly.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," said Corey, getting up from the table. He walked over to the maid, and shyly handed her a flower that he'd pulled out of his sleeve. Paige was surprised with the change in her mentor. He was still the large, smiling Corey, but he was shyer and almost sweet. The maid took the flower from him and tucked it into her braid, kissing him on the cheek. Corey glared at Paige and Jaymor until they took the hint and started walking towards the door. Looking back, Paige watched Corey sweep the maid off her feet and kiss her in earnest.

Her laughs echoed through the empty hall and she begged to be put down. Reluctantly, Corey let her go. With a final kiss, they set off in their separate directions, both smiling. Paige felt a pang of longing at their relationship. She'd never had anyone who'd do that for her, to give her flowers and kiss her. Foolish desires, she knew, but none the less, she was a girl. She knew though, that only more heartbreak was on the path, no matter how much she wanted it. She glanced back at Jaymor, who was looking thoughtfully at a flower he'd picked up from the ground. His hair was falling into his eyes again as he looked back at the retreating pair of people that had just been so happy. Intrigued, he picked at a petal as he looked through his bangs at the back of his friend, her hair swinging back and forth with each step. He wondered if her hair would look even prettier with a flower in it. Shaking his head at his own foolish wonderings, he tossed the flower aside and trotted to catch up to Paige.


	6. Chapter 6

It was barely lunch time, and Paige was already aching. First they'd had hand-to-hand combat training, where they had to learn to fall properly and block a punch. Paige was already bruised all over from bad blocks. Then came sword fighting. The master had told them that, before they could even use practice swords, they had to master the moves with poles. They were each given a pole and told to face off to a random person. Paige's partner was a small, compact first-year who, Paige realized after the first swing was dealt, had apparently practiced at his home years before the palace training. Soon she had bruises all over her shoulders, sides, and knees, and her hands blistering from all of the swings she did block.

The first-years were wearily trudging over to the stables for their last class of the morning, and none of them were too lively. Each had bruises somewhere and none of them were looking forward to gripping reins.

But as they approached the stables, some seemed to remember that they had to choose their mount, and started jogging, then running towards the stable as fast as their sore legs could carry them. Paige was running up front with the rest of the group. If she couldn't ride Peach, she at least wanted to get a good pick of horse for the years to come.

When they got to the stable, each horse had a name and a description on the front of their stall. Many reached their heads toward the pages running through the stables. Many boys just ran to the prettiest horses they saw, earning a disapproving look from the hostler. But others were taking care to look at the descriptions and look over the horses. "Maybe I'm not with as big of a bunch of idiots as I thought I was," Paige remarked to herself.

As she was walking down the aisle, reading the snippets of descriptions "Slow" "Dependent" "Advanced", a certain one caught her eye. It read; "Fast and sure, responsive to leg signals, but be forewarned, her gaits are fast, flighty." Paige thought she could handle a fast horse. She looked up at the nameplate, it read "Tishok". Then she felt a breath on her hair. She looked up into the deep brown eyes of a beautiful Bazhir mare.

She had a white blaze that started off thin at her forehead and got wider as it went down, engulfing her whole lower muzzle in white. Her ears were small and pricked forward at Paige, and her head was flat, but almost delicately round. She wasn't quite a Bazhir horse, she was slightly larger, and her head was less refined as their horses, but her legs were slim, with two white front socks that ended in four small but tough hooves. Her tail was short, reaching halfway down her hind legs, and her mane was long, reaching three-quarters of the way down her arched neck. Stroking her sleek black coat, Paige decided to use her. She could swap for one of the not-chosen ones if she wanted to right? Paige looked around and saw that others were tacking up their mounts, so she began to do the same.

She hefted the large saddle onto the mare's back, fastening the girth tight around her belly. Then came the bridle. When Paige picked up the bridle, the mare's ears went back. She lowered her head and snorted. Paige knew what was coming. She deftly threw the reins over the Tishok's head. When the mare's head came up, Paige tried to put the bridle on, but the mare raised her head higher than Paige could reach. Paige looked around to see is anyone else was having trouble. "Of course they're not," she told herself sarcastically, "because they're BOYS, and of course boys can do EVERYTHING right ALL the time." Grimacing, she tried again to put the bridle on the unruly Tishok. Again Tishok raised her head out of reach. "Need help?" one of the boys offered her. "No," she snapped quickly, then, remembering her manners, she added, "Thanks." Paige decided to try a new tactic. She snaked her hand around Tishok's neck and between her ears, holding her head down. Then with the top of the bridle held in the hand and the bit in the other, she put the bit against Tishok's teeth and stuck a finger in the corner of her mouth to open it. Once the bit was in, Paige quickly slid the rest of the bridle in place. "We'll work on that later," she scolded her mare, and led her out of the stable.

"Mount up!" was the sharp command given by the instructor. Paige swung herself onto Tishok's sturdy back as she stood quietly. The instructor commanded them to walk, and Paige squeezed her heels against the mare's sides. She was thrown back in the saddle as the mare lurched forward. Quickly reining Tishok in, Paige slowed her to a walk. The mare was extremely sensitive. More wary of her choice of a mount, Paige concentrated on keeping a steady pace.

Soon they were ordered to trot. This time, Paige just touched the mare's sides with her heels. Immediately, Tishok broke into a lively trot. Smiling to herself, Paige patted her horse's neck. "It looks like we'll get along just fine Tishok," Paige whispered to her mare, "The boys can't tease me now!"

Soon they had completed two laps of the fenced-in arena. Paige was now accustomed to Tishoks' trot, which was smoother than Peaches', and covered more ground. It was apparent that this mare had been bred for efficiency.

As Paige allowed her mind to wander, getting more and more comfortable with her new mount, she didn't notice one first-year page urge his horse to canter. The horse, who'd been tossing its' head, wanting to let its' energy out, took advantage of its rider's inexperience. Lowering its' head, the horse gave a tremendous buck, unseating the boy and toppling him to the ground on the other side of the fence. Realizing it was free, the horse bolted across the arena, startling the other horses. Too late, Paige tried to grab up on Tishoks' reins as her mare sidestepped nervously. Suddenly, the loose horse bolted by, its' hind legs clipping Tishoks' belly. Panicking, the mare bolted ahead of the loose horse, rider forgotten.

Paige tried reining the panicking Tishok in. But Tishok, running at full speed, was oblivious to her riders' tugging. Paige, giving up on pulling at her mares' mouth, decided to try another tactic. She would force her mount to stop by almost running her into the fence. This would usually make the horse stop dead. Focusing, Paige locked her eyes on the fence in front of them, fast approaching. Blocking off the left side with her leg, Paige made sure that Tishok couldn't make the turn. With three strides to go, Tishok was showing no sign of slowing down. Four. . .three. . .two. . . Suddenly Paige realized Tishok had no intention of stopping. They were jumping the fence. Paige readied herself for the jump. As Tishok took off, Paige raised herself out of the beginner saddle, leaning low over the mares' neck. As they landed, Tishok eyed the open stretch of field in front of them. Gathering up her reins, Paige tried again to stop the bolting mare, to no avail.

"Stop, damn you! STOP!" Paige murmured through gritted teeth.

Tishok was lengthening her stride; achieving speeds Paige had never before imagined a horse to be able to. Each stride ate up the ground between the speeding duo and the woods. Soon they were almost at the tree line. Paige gritted her teeth and pulled hard on her right rein, desperate to at least turn her horse. To her surprise, Tishok immediately changed directions, and they were now speeding parallel to the woods. Finally Paige knew how to stop her horse. but it would be a shame to have to walk all the way back to the arena, which was now just a small line on the horizon. Turning Tishok again, she faced her back towards the arena. She couldn't slow her horse down, but she could certainly push her speed.

"This is really stupid," she told herself, "but it's so much FUN!" Smiling, Paige suddenly squeezed Tishoks' sides with all her might.

The mare jumped forward, shifting into another gear entirely. This was what she was meant for. Tishok lengthened her stride even more, pumping her legs even faster. Paige felt a fierce joy sweep through her as the wind blew through her hair and made her eyes water. This was how she should be. No boundaries, just living high-speed and free.

Soon they were nearing the paddock. Now was the time for Paige to make her move. She pulled sharply on her right rein, forcing Tishok to turn in a tight circle. She kept turning Tishok in small circles as the mare was forced to slow her pace. Soon the mare was circling at a canter, shaking her head, sweat breaking out on her sleek body. Paige was focusing on softening Tishoks' mouth to the bit, so much that she didn't hear the approaching horse, thundering ever nearer, until it slammed into Tishoks' side.

The frightened horse stumbled over Tishok's flailing legs, as she tumbled to the ground. Paige briefly recognized it as the horse that had started the whole commotion in the first place. A sudden sharp pain in her leg brought her attention back to her situation. She was lying on the ground, almost directly under Tishok, who had been able to struggle to her feet. Looking at her leg, she had to fight the urge to throw up. Tishok had stepped on the lower part of her leg, smashing the bone into splinters that were sticking out through the skin and blood. The skin that remained on her leg by the wound was bloody and ground almost to a pulp, and a piece was hanging off. Blood was slowly pooling around the wound, and Tishok was prancing to get away from it.

"Ouch!" Paige cried, now becoming sharply aware of the pain, "Mithros, AUHG!"

Gritting her teeth to keep from crying, Paige grabbed a stirrup and heaved herself onto her good leg. Using the prancing Tishok to keep her balance, she started hopping towards the group of on-lookers in the arena. When they saw the extent of her injuries, Paige heard many of them gasp, and some tied their horses to the fence and started running out to help her.

"Don't let them see you cry," she thought to herself, as she fought the urge not to cry out in pain. Every jolt that the hopping created sent a burning, sharp sensation through her already throbbing leg, which would wobble limply with each step. Finally, the boys reached her. One blonde boy ran up and grabbed Tishoks' reins. The mare, already strung-out, panicked again and reared, her right front hoof striking Paige's collarbone. "This day just keeps getting better and better," Paige said aloud, "Why would you even DO that?" She said weakly to the boy, who was backing away from the panicked mare. Having lost her handhold, Paige wobbled backwards. Some boys rushed forward to catch her, and lowered her gently to the ground. Soon the riding master was there.

"Someone go ring the bell, this is an emergency!" he ordered, "I'm going to go get something to bind this wound up."

Paige was dimly aware of two sets of feet making their way back up to the barn. She closed her eyes, trying to fight the pain that was steadily growing throughout her leg and collarbone. In the distance, she heard the school bell starting to ring, loud and non-stop, which meant there was an emergency. Soon she could hear a crowd starting to gather. Why weren't they helping her? Why were they leaving her lying here in pain? How long had it been?

"Mithros, that looks bad," she heard someone whisper. She wanted to say "Uh, yeah. So how's about you make it BETTER?" but all she managed was a small groan.

"You know what, Black God take me for disobeying the teachers, but I'm not just gonna stand here!" Paige heard footsteps, and someone lowering himself onto the grass by her head. Soon her head was resting on his lap. Paige sighed; the elevation had eased her headache some, enough to make opening her eyes bearable. She looked up into the concerned face of Jaymor.

"You OK?" he asked,

"Whadda you-u think?" Paige managed unsteadily.

Jaymor gave a strained laugh. "What hurts?" he asked.

"Well, kinda sorta me LEG!" she said, "and my coll-larbone, and my head. But you m-made it better."

Jaymor smiled thinly. "There's not much we can do until the healers arrive, and I think your collarbone is pretty bruised," he brushed his fingers over her collarbone, and hissed sympathetically when he felt the spot where she'd been kicked. It was warm and swelling rapidly. "But," he said, "I can make your head feel better." With that, he gently hefted her head higher into his lap and placed his fingers on either of her temples. He rubbed gentle circles, easing the skull-splitting pain.

"Mmmhhh," Paige sighed. It was a painful yet perfect moment for Paige, and she wanted it to end yet didn't want it to. Soon she heard running feet and closed her eyes again, feeling weaker by the minute. She felt Jaymor pull away as hands slipped under her as she was roughly put onto a stretcher. Paige cried out before she could stop herself as her useless leg was tossed around, forcing more splinters into her puffy skin. Her head was starting to throb again and her collarbone felt like it was on fire.

"What happened here?" she heard the surprised voice of Corey as though from a distance.

"Horse accident," said the training master roughly, "Young'un took a horse too high-spirited for her. A lady needs a docile animal."

These words brought Paige back to reality, and her eyes snapped open. "I am NOT a lady!" she cried hoarsely, and pounded her fist against the stretcher, "I c-CAN ride Tishok! I ca-" her protests were cut off by a bump as the stretcher was picked up. Her eyes watered as she fought the urge to yell. She felt someone place a reassuring hand on her arm. Looking up, she saw Corey.

"Shh, Paige," he told her, "everyone knows you know how to ride. Trust me, they're all talking about how amazingly you stuck it out, and how fast you and that mare can go. You can level the tales out later, but right now just stick this out."

At this, Paige forced a thin smile. "Thanks Corey," she said, "If I'm not out by tonight, can you bring my homework?" He nodded. He took his hand from her arm and fell back behind the medical staff. "Now, Paige," there was a new voice speaking. The voice belonged to a man of about fifty, his graying hair pulled back into a short ponytail, revealing the deep wrinkles on his forehead and a plain face. "I'm going to put you to sleep so we can work on your arm, OK?" he asked. Paige nodded; she would welcome sleep. The healer smiled with approval and placed his hand on Paige's forehead, and she drifted off into blackness.


	7. Chapter 7

When Paige woke up, it took her a minute to remember where she was. It was dark, with only the lit torched beside the rows of beds to give light to the scene. The medical wing where she lay was entirely deserted. A dull ache in her collarbone reminded her of why she was there. Paige immediately pulled the covers off her leg and yelped in surprise; her leg had completely healed, save only for a scar running up the front up to her knee. Gingerly, she placed some weight on it. It was a bit stiff, but Paige judged that she could walk on it.

"Ouch!" she hissed, more out of surprise than pain, as shoulder hit the pole on the side of the bed, sending a jolt through her neck. Again the ache in her collarbone came back, and she pulled down her tunic a bit and saw a huge blue-ish bruise spreading across her chest. Standing up, Paige took a few steps. Her stiff leg protested, but Paige judged that it only needed to be stretched out a bit. Suddenly, she had an idea.

Limping down the deserted hallways as quietly as she could, Paige stopped in front of door 286, which held, as she recalled, the drunken boy that had attacked her. As quietly as she could, Paige dumped most of the mug-full of beer on the stones in front of the door, and set the mug down right in the puddle. Paige had found the unfinished tankard of beer on the desk of the night-hallway-patrol mans' desk. She'd heard him go out earlier with one of the serving-maids. Satisfied that this would prove the boys guilty, Paige quietly limped her way back to her room. There was no way she was going back to the eerie medical wing. No sooner had Paige closed the door behind her than she was greeted with a frenzy of licks and whines from Milo, who'd just leaped through the open window.

"Hey boy!" she said, petting him vigorously. Eventually he calmed down and allowed Paige to slip into her nightgown. As she crawled into her bed, though, she found she didn't want to sleep. Her eyes just wouldn't stay closed. Vaguely annoyed, she took one of the decorative swords off the wall. Why the training master would arm the first-years, she had no idea, but why not take advantage of what's there?

Hefting the heavy, blunt-edged weapon to a comfortable grip, Paige slipped out her window into the quiet courtyard. The sky was turning gray; a sign that dawn was on its way. Paige swung the sword up in an arc above her head and brought it down in a none-too-graceful chop. Unprepared for the weight of the weapon combined with gravity and momentum, Paige couldn't keep a hold of the weapon and it clattered onto the stones, the metallic sound ringing through the still morning air. Frustrated, Paige moved to a grassy area by the lone tree in the courtyard and practiced another swing. This time, knowing the weight, Paige stopped the sword before it hit the ground, but just barely. Her muscles screamed as she tried again and again for a more graceful stop, and eventually Paige gave up and climbed back through the window to her room, too exhausted to try anymore.

As she lay down in her bed, watching the first pink streaks come across the walls of the palace, she felt finally content. As if she was finally improving. Rolling over onto her side, Paige felt a small, hard object by her foot. Reaching down, she pulled from under her blankets a small, delicate-looking cat figurine, one paw raised in a lucky salute. Paige blinked groggily at it, something stirring in the back of her mind. But she was too tired to reach for the knowledge right now. Sighing, Paige placed the cat on her bedside table facing it to the window. As she fell asleep she saw her lucky cat saluting the morning sun.

At breakfast the next day, she told Corey and Jaymor about the cat. "I've heard about those waving cats in foreign studies," said Corey through a mouthful of roasted pork, "They come from the Yamani Islands."

"Oh," Paige replied half-heartedly. She was preoccupied this morning by her arms, sore from the strain of the sword. She'd told her friends about her flight from the hospital bed, withholding only the information about her exploits in exposing the drunken boys. They agreed that they wouldn't have wanted to stay in the hospital area either, and promised not to tell the training master.

The second day passed much like the first, though this time Paige was conscious for the afternoon lessons. She was tired and bored, particularly in mathematics class. Why they held the school classes in the afternoon, when they were all tired and dreaming of a warm bath Paige had no idea. Wouldn't it be more practical to have the school classes first, when they were waking up and getting their energy, then allowed to let it out during the afternoon? _But I suppose I'll have to deal with it being backwards, _Paige thought to herself, trying to figure out the long division that everyone else seemed to be breezing through. Sighing, she finally turned in her paper with her work on it and walked out of the room, just as the bell was starting to ring.

After the afternoon classes were through, Paige went to the stables and rode Tishok for a half hour every day, determined to master the mare. Then she would practice with her wooden practice sword. She knew that she should be trying to master the heavy blade, but it was so much easier just to use the wooden one, and she could practice the different complicated moves with it. After everything that she sweated over was done, Paige took a bath and went down to dinner. Then she came back to her room and collected her books to go study in Jaymors' rooms. He was good at mathematics, and Paige needed all the help she could get. Soon her evenings took on a routine. Then on the weekends they were so piled with homework that they hardly noticed the passing of time, and soon they found themselves at the end of the first month of knight training.

"Well, that went a lot faster than I thought it would," Paige commented as the teacher for their last evening class had dismissed them for the weekend. Along with the homework, it had been announced that anyone who had not taken any punishment duties in the past month could go down to the city if they wished, including the first years.

"Yeah," replied Jaymor, "And now we can do whatever we want."

Suddenly an idea dawned on Paige. "Hey, that means we have time to go down to the city," she said. Turning to Corey, she explained "I have this plan to torture Jaymor. We take him down to the city and introduce him to every pretty-" she was cut off abruptly by a hand clamped over her mouth.

"NO!" Jaymor almost shouted, "No WAY!"

Paige attempted to squirm out of his hold and managed to free an arm. She wrapped it around his neck and used her weight to pull him to the ground. She'd seen other boys play-fighting here before, so she wasn't worried about looking odd. Jaymor rolled over before Paige could pick herself up and pinned her to the ground. Paige tried to roll over again and Jaymor sat on her stomach. Sighing she admitted defeat. "You win this time, but I WILL beat you."

"We'll see," Jaymor replied, getting off Paige and pulling her to her feet. Soon it was the time for Paige to split up with them to ride Tishok. As she walked away, she shouted back "You're still coming to the city Jay!" and with that she took off towards the stable at a dead sprint.


End file.
